Delhi High Court refuses interim relief to Gautam Gambhir in defamation suit against a Hindi newspaper

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to pass an interim injunction order against a Hindi newspaper in a defamation suit filed by BJP MP and former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir had filed a defamation suit against the Hindi daily newspaper Punjab Kesari, seeking to stop them from doing any allegedly defamatory story about him. The East Delhi MP had also sought Rs 2 crore in damages from the newspaper and an unconditional written apology for publishing “malicious and false publications” against him. Media reports stated that some of the news stories over which the defamation suit has been filed include “Sansad Gautam Gambhir Lapata Gali-Gali Me Lage Poster” and “Dilli ke lapata Sansad Lucknow Super Giants ke liye bane Bhasmasur”. Declining Gambhir’s interim injunction request, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that public figures need to be thick-skinned. He also issued notices to the editor and reporters of the newspaper to reply to the suit. “If the reporter has gone to the area and found such comments being made then… You are a public servant, an elected person, you need not be so sensitive…..Any public person should be thick-skinned. With this social media and all, even judges have to be thick-skinned,” Justice Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. Justice Singh also added that some of the words used for Lucknow Super Giants mentor in the news articles were not appropriate. “Does this person live in your constituency? If he is a voter for you, then he can say things like that. This is on the lighter side… If you read all the articles, it is my prima facie opinion that the reporter is behind this person. Some of the words and sentences that he has used are not proper for your paper, “ the judge said. The case is now listed for the next hearing in October. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.